


Juno Steel and the Time Warp

by thewiredgalaxy



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Ancient Martian Technology, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, M/M, POV First Person, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-20 13:09:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17622968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewiredgalaxy/pseuds/thewiredgalaxy
Summary: Juno Steel has yet been able to get away from ancient Martian technology. An ill-fated call has him looking for something called the “Time Box of Meohsilke.” As Juno works to gain possession of it, it’s stolen from underneath his nose. Juno chases down the thief to a place in the desert he hasn't seen in a long while, and sees the face of the thief that once stole his heart. And as Juno tried to get some answers from him, he finds himself back in his office dumbfounded. It's a serious case of deja vu when he’s called once again with the same mission he thought he was already on.Juno Steel has too many questions to count but has to get back on the case, although he can't help wondering what happened? How did he end up back in his office? And was that really...him?----Part of the Penumbra Mini Bang 2018!





	1. Chapter 1

The morning started off like most average ones. I was relaxing in my desk chair, with cup of stale coffee that had been reheated in the microwave in my hand. Rita sat preoccupied at her desk watching one of her streams, commenting on it a bit louder than I would've preferred. But then the comms rang. Rita answered and called back into my office.

“Mista Steel! It’s your friend, Sasha! Sasha Wire; the one from Dark Matters!”

“Yes, Rita, I know who she is. Just transfer the call to me,” I huffed in response, taking the call in my office. Putting the receiver to my ear, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What is it now, Sasha?”

“A pleasure to talk to you too, Juno. I was hoping we could get some pleasantries in before we got down to business, but I see that isn’t the case.” I could hear from Sasha that her tone was more joking. Although I figured she probably wouldn’t have complained if we had some idle chit chat before changing topics to the actual reason as to why she called. But Sasha liked getting straight to the point, so she probably wasn’t all that miffed about not catching up on the exciting story of the life of Juno Steel.

“I am calling because I have a job for you. Dark Matters doesn’t have an agent available to take it and you have the connections we need to get the job done,” she then explained.

I frowned in suspicion. “Well that depends.”

“On what?”

“On what the job is. What connections do I have that you don’t?”

“Valles Vicky.”

My eye widened. “What does Vicky have that you want?”

“The Time Box of Meohsilke.”

“The what?”

“The Time Box of Meohsilke. A seller brought it to her recently and she plans on auctioning it off tonight. But we need you to go and get it. And Vicky trusts you, you’re the best one to get it from her.”

“Yeah, but what is it?”

“That’s classified information, Juno.” My frown dug deeper into my face. I hated when she avoided answering.

“If it’s going to be my case, I need to know what it is, Sasha.” There was a bit of a bite in my retort that I couldn’t help but let out. But I didn’t want her tiptoeing around answering.

There was silence from some time on her end before she finally spoke. “It’s a Martian time machine device.”

“Oh you’ve got to be shitting me. You want me to deal with more Martian tech?”

“You survived the other ones you’ve dealt with; this one shouldn’t kill you. It’s just a time machine.”

“Yeah, well, what if I don’t want to do the job?”

“Then you won’t get paid. Burgess said he’d pay you three times your usual rate if you do the job.”

I had to pick my jaw off the floor. I had never been offered that much for a job before. It wasn’t like I was desperate for the money. But hey. I won’t say no to a good pay like that.

“Alright. Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Good. Valles Vicky should be expecting you shortly. Best not to keep her waiting. Goodbye, Juno.” 

Before I even got the chance to ask how she knew Vicky was expecting me when she had “no connections” to her, Sasha hung up. I put the comms down and huffed, rubbing my temples. I wasn’t expecting my day to end up this way. What can you do though? Pocketing my comms, I left my office and passed Rita’s desk on my way out. Her eyes were peeled away from her current stream, just barely, and she watched me move to the door.

“So… what did she want?” she asked in her sing-song voice. “Is she sending Agent Rex Glass over again for you two to do a job together? It’s been so long since we’ve seen him. He’s so handsome, don’tcha think? Very few people got a face as handsome as his!”

It felt like a punch to my gut when she said that name.

It had been ages since I’d thought about him. Especially that name of his. It was from the first time we met during the case at the Kanagawa estate. Sometimes I wished I could forget about that. But there wasn’t much use dealing with that thought at the moment. I had a job to do. And he was out of my life.

“No, he isn’t coming. She offered me a job and I took it. I gotta go out, but I’ll be back later,” I told her, opening the door.

“Well, do you think she could maybe send him our way to check up on us? I know your face really lit up when he came round and I think-” I cut her off before she could say any more. I didn’t want to think about him.

“Bye, Rita.” My tone was stern and I closed the door behind me. I almost intended to slam it, but I refrained. It wasn’t Rita’s fault. She was just as enamoured with him in the beginning as I had been - maybe a little more. But I just couldn’t think about him. Not right now. He was gone.

I got in my car and started the drive to Vicky’s. The radio turned on automatically to some music station I couldn’t even name. I forgot I had lent my car earlier this morning to Rita to run some errands and she had left whatever station she’d been listening to on. I shut it off and drove in silence. When I pulled up to Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley, Vicky was just headed inside. It was pretty early in the day, Vixen Valley wasn’t even open for business yet. When she heard my car pull up she spun around, surprise on her face before she smiled teasingly at me. 

“We’re not open for business yet, Juno. Won’t be for a couple hours. But I guess I can make an exception for a lady, such as yourself,” she hummed, watching me leave my car and holding the door open for me.

Rolling my eye, I went inside and Vicky shut the door behind us. “I’m not here for your business, I’m here on my own. I got a call a seller dropped off something real nice and I know someone who wants it.”

“Ah yes, Agent Wire,” she nodded. Ah, so I guess Sasha may have called ahead of my arrival. Vicky started to walk off and gave a small wave of her hand for me to follow her. “Problem is, I won’t be auctioning this piece off until tonight. And sources say that it’s going to go for more than you could ever imagine.”

“Yeah, well, she can’t wait for tonight and that’s why she sent me,” I told her as we went into her office, her shutting the door behind us. It was a nice space. Art decorated the walls, that without even looking too hard I knew it was missing or stolen from who knows where. By the window sat Vicky’s desk. Her chair faced towards the window, while mine had its back to it. I didn’t like it, but I figured you never can be too cautious when you’re Vicky and you deal with such lucrative items in your after hours business. We took our seats and I leaned forwards towards her desk.

“Well then, what does she offer for it? I’m not letting ancient Martian tech go for just anything. Even if she works for Dark Matters,” Vicky said as she leaned back in her chair, hands folded on her torso. 

“How about Dark Matters not alerting the HCPD of your little side business outside of the Vixen Valley?” I offered. Sasha hadn’t given me any money to get the device. She hadn't even said how I'm supposed to get it from Vicky. So I had to go with what I thought would work best, a bargain. 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“You heard me. No cops will come to bust your lil black market ring and I walk away with the device for my buyer.” I felt like this was probably the worst choice I could have gone with, but I was grasping at straws. I was going to have to thank Sasha later for putting me through this bullshit.

“Oh you cannot be serious with that, Juno. I expect money not-” She was cut off from speaking unexpectedly and whipped her head towards the door. “What the-?”

An alarm started to shriek throughout the building. Before I could blink, Vicky was out of her seat and bolting out the door. And I was barely two steps behind. While I wasn’t sure where we were going, I wasn’t surprised to where we ended up.

In front of us was a massive door, nearly a foot thick. The door was for a safe and inside there was more stolen and missing art pieces along with cash and gold. But there was also a smaller safe inside, and it was broken into as well. And it was empty. Vicky had pushed past me to look around to see if anything else was missing besides what was in the safe. To me though, it looked untouched. Whatever this thief wanted had been in the smaller safe.

“Fuck. Shit shit shit.” Vicky was starting to freak out, grabbing at her hair and gritting her teeth. “Juno, you have to go after them.”

“What? Why me?”

“That device is the only reason why you’re here, ain’t it? You’re fucking getting it.”

I groaned and pulled out my comms, leaving the safe and heading down the hall opposing to the one Vicky and I arrived from. Since we hadn’t passed anyone on our way to the safe, it was safe to assume they’d come from and left in the opposite direction. “Rita, can you get into the surveillance system for Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley? There was a break in and I now have to find the person who got into the safe.”

“You’ll have to give me a few minutes, boss. My stream is just getting good. The bad guy is just about to…” I frowned and cut her off immediately. I couldn’t have her spiral into describing her show.

“Now, Rita. I need to find them. They just robbed the safe here,” I told her, holding back the sharp tone that wanted to accompany. I didn’t have time for any distractions - or any of Rita’s. 

“Alright, alright! You don’t gotta get all snippy…” she muttered. She went silent for bit as all the noise that came from her end was just fingers tapping on her keyboard and clicks of her mouse. “I can get it, but something is screwy with the cameras. They don’t have any feeds from once you got inside the building until after whoever robbed the safe left it. But their face is hidden by a headscarf and isn’t caught by any of the cameras. I can send you the feeds but they just made their exit out the back of the building into a red vehicle. A real snazzy one at that. Take a look!”

The image made my heart stop and I froze. That was the Ruby Seven. That was impossible… Last I saw that thing it was when Nureyev and I were taken to Miasma’s hideout in the middle of the desert. Even the figure getting into the car seemed familiar. I thought it could have been him. I pushed that thought immediately out of my mind and I continued to where the thief had made their escape. Of course, the Ruby Seven was long gone. It was fast. It was smart. And if it was possibly him behind the wheel, he was just as fast and smart.

“Rita. I need you now to look at the HCPD’s surveillance system for the city to follow that car. Start from where you saw it behind the Vixen Valley and follow it. Tell me where it’s headed,” I instructed her, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Already on it, boss!” she said, chipper as ever. “It’s moving pretty fast, so it’s hard to track...but it seems to be leaving the city, heading west. I think it’s headed to where Croesus Kanagawa had that show where he was digging that deep deep hole you suggested him to do.”

I hung up and pinched the bridge of my nose. Of course. I had to go out to the desert. Towards more ancient Martian tech bullshit. If I wasn’t already getting paid three times more than my usual rate, I may have charged Sasha more for this job. Hell, I may even still up my price for it. I turned tail and ran back through the building and jumped into my car. It was nowhere near as fast as the Ruby Seven, but I could still tail it. 

I figured I could have been stopping my car by Croesus’ hole, but I saw the tracks from the Ruby Seven flew past it. There was only one thing I knew was in this direction past Croesus’ hole. Which was Miasma’s old hideout that she took Nureyev and I too when she was trying to take over the world Just my luck. It felt like I was repeating that day with Nureyev. Except he wasn’t with me and I was going to Miasma’s bunker by my own free will. Still, the deja vu was hitting me hard.

Just as I pulled up to my destination, I saw the Ruby Seven was there. I felt that the hood was still warm as I walked past it and noticed the entrance to the base was ajar slightly. Peeking through the door, it simply led down a long corridor and a set of stairs that faded into the darkness. I pulled out my comms and used it like a flashlight to guide my way, following the freshest looking footprints in the sand. The path they took seemed familiar and led to a room I was all too familiar with. 

The holding cell I had been stuck in with Nureyev, when Miasma and her goons weren’t torturing us. And there the figure stood. They had the same physique as Nureyev and his near same fashion choices. Minus the headscarf - I never really took him to be a headscarf guy. But I guess I had to forget that after they removed their scarf and I fully saw the profile of their face.

It was him.

“Nureyev…?” I asked. My voice shook. I wasn’t expecting to see him. Not now, possibly not ever again. He was supposed to have left Mars after… After I left him that night. But there he was standing in front of me. He placed the cube-shaped device down on the bench beside him and turned to look at me. 

There was no mistaking a face as handsome as his. It caught me off guard. Just like it always did. And truth be told, I was glad he was wearing a pair of sunglasses. Not just because his eyes were some of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen, but because I couldn’t look him in the eyes. Not after what I did to him. 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know any Nureyev,” he answered, tone as calm and sure as ever.

“Oh, come on, Nureyev, I know it’s you. It’s me, Juno. Juno Steel, private investigator,” I said, gesturing to myself some. But a nagging thought in my head figured he was probably under cover at the moment and didn’t want to break from the character of his latest alias.

“I’m telling you, Steel, my name isn’t Nureyev. It’s Aster. Aster Vale,” he told me, confirming my hunch.

I sighed. I guess I should have figured he wouldn’t break out of his role for me. Especially after what I did to him. And I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt me a bit that he was pretending he didn’t know me. But I didn’t want him knowing that. Not now. “Alright, Aster, what are you doing with that device then? I was hired to get it and you’re kind of in the way of me getting paid.”

“Well, I’m sorry, detective but I have it now and I won’t be letting go of it any time soon.”

“Well, Aster, you did let it go. It’s sitting on the bench now, and you aren’t touching it.”

“So it may seem, but it figuratively isn’t leaving my possession.”

“We’ll see about that.” I made a move towards him to get the device. I saw him reach towards it and touch something on it. Suddenly, a bright flash of white filled the room and eventually all I saw was white. 

When my vision finally readjusted, I found myself back in my desk. Same mug as this morning in my hand, filled with microwaved, stale coffee. I could hear Rita’s stream in the other room, the same one that was playing just before Sasha called. And just as I thought of that, the comms rung.


	2. Chapter 2

“Mista Steel! It’s your friend, Sasha! Sasha Wire; the one from Dark Matters!” called out Rita.

“Uhh... pass the call to my comms,” I replied, unsure. I must have fallen asleep at my desk and had some weird dream. Everything felt like deja vu. “Hi, Sasha.”

“Good morning, Juno, you sound tired,” Sasha hummed as I shifted in my chair. I guess I may have fallen asleep at my desk for a bit. I don’t sleep well most nights and my chair is mostly comfortable, it could have happened. 

I shrugged. No use dwelling on the unknown. “I guess I had a bit of a nap.”

“I’m going to need you to wake up then, I have a job for you,” she said, and I made a small noise in response. “Dark Matters doesn’t have an agent available to take it and you have the connections we need to get the job done.”

“What’s the job?”

“Valles Vicky has a device Dark Matters is interested in, and we need you to get it from her.”

“What is it?”

“It’s classified.”

“Sasha, I’m not doing anything for you if you don’t tell me what I’m getting.”

“Fine. It’s the Time Box of Meohsilke. It’s an ancient Martian time machine.”

Okay, this was getting way past deja vu or a dream that foresaw the future. “Oh you’ve got to be shitting me…” I groaned. Mostly, my response was towards the fact I had already experienced the usage of the device, but now I had to go through getting it again. And seeing him again. 

“It’s relatively harmless, Juno. It won’t kill you. And it isn’t like you haven’t been around Martian Tech before.”

“I’m not taking this job for just anything, Sasha. I really don’t want to deal with it.”

“Then you won’t get paid. Burgess said he’d pay you three times your usual rate if you too the job.”

I sighed. That pay was the one thing keeping me on this job. “Alright. Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Good. Valles Vicky should be expecting you shortly. Best not to keep her waiting. Goodbye, Juno.” She hung up and at least this time I knew what she meant by Vicky waiting for me. I pocketed my comms and left my office.

“So, what job she got you going on today? Is she gonna send Agent Rex Glass over to help? He’s such a handsome man, boss...a lady could just feel so safe in his arms,” Rita cooed and it took all my power to keep a straight face as I remembered what happened before that flash to white.

“It’s just a solo job, Rita. I shouldn’t be gone too long,” I told her, leaving the office and heading for my car. I jumped as the radio blared as soon as I turned on my car. I’d forgotten from before Rita left it on when she last used it. I took the same route over to Vicky’s, but kept my eye out for any clues that I could have missed on my way over. Any sign of him. But there was nothing. Of course there was nothing. Nureyev was particular about not leaving a trace behind. Pulling up to the Vixen Valley, Vicky was just heading inside and grinned at me when she saw me, after that same initial look of surprise.

“We’re not open for business yet, Juno, but I guess I can make an acception for a lady, such as yourself,” she hummed, watching me leave my car and keeping the door held open for me.

I huffed and followed her inside, Vicky shutting the door behind us. “I’m not here for the Valley’s services, on a job. I got a call a seller dropped off something and I’m here for someone who wants it.”

“Ah yes, Agent Wire,” she nodded. She made the motion for me to follow her, but I was already by her side. I knew where we were going. “Problem is, I won’t be auctioning this piece off until tonight. And sources say that it’s going to go for more than you could ever imagine.”

“Well, it isn’t going to be waiting to leave the building until tonight,” I said as we entered her office. It felt weird being in here now, knowing what was to come in a few short minutes. Vicky moved to sit in her seat, but I decided to stay standing near the chair she offered me. Sitting down would just give him a few extra seconds to get to Miasma’s base without me.

“Well then, what does she offer for it? I’m not letting ancient Martian tech go for just anything,” Vicky said as she leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. 

“She obviously has connections with Dark Matters, she could keep them off your back with your black market,” I replied. Sasha still hadn’t given me anything to pay Vicky with. So I had to deal with bullshitting my way through this again. Basically stalling until he got in and out of the safe. I almost made me feel like his accomplice in a weird way. But I wasn’t sure if I should let Vicky know ahead of time someone was breaking into the safe. Who knows how she’d respond?

“That definitely is interesting,” she hummed as she shifted to now lean towards me. “But I was hoping for something more on the level of money as well, Jun-...” Vicky couldn’t finish my name, for she was cut off by the screeching of the alarm of the safe. She bolted from her chair and out the room towards the location of the safe. I knew though where the thief was going and I called after her that I would go after them. 

I ran for my car and got in, heading towards the west of town and going out to the desert to follow after Nureyev. I could just make out the Ruby Seven in the distance, so I knew I was following the right trail once again and that he hadn’t changed his plan from the first time. If I could remember what happened before, he probably did too.

He still made it inside before me, but I ran inside after him and yelled down the stairs. “Nureyev, what are you doing?” I couldn’t care less right now about the alias he was currently using. Fuck, I didn’t even care. I just wanted an answer from him. 

But I guessed I must have spooked him into starting up the device, because another bright flash of white light hit me again. I covered my eye to shade them somewhat from the burning light. When I removed them, I was in my desk chair again. Rita’s stream played in the other room, my coffee was crap, and the comms just started to ring. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm cutting it a little close with having this updated on the 4th (considering it's 45min until midnight) but I had quite the busy day,, but I do hope you enjoy this shorter chapter. And let's hope Juno doesn't mind doing the time warp again lol


	3. Chapter 3

“Mista Steel! It’s your friend, Sasha Wi-” I cut her off before Rita could say more. I really didn’t want to deal with this a third time.

 

“Just pass it to my comms, Rita,” I called back, bring my comms to my ear. As soon as I heard the other end come alive I simply answered with,“What?”

 

“A pleasure to talk to you too, Juno. I was hoping we could-” I cut her off before she could continue. I didn't want to deal with this shit again. I just wanted her to get to the point and not deal with all the bullshit. 

 

“What do you want, Sasha?” I grunted, rubbing my face with my hand. 

 

“Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Well I have a job for you. Dark Matters doesn’t have an agent available to take it and you have the connections we need to get the job done,” she then said. Not like I hadn't heard it twice before.

 

“Let me take a wild guess. You want me to get some ancient Martian tech from a dealer?” I replied, summarizing her mission as vague as I could without her getting too suspicious. 

 

“How did you…?” she asked perplexed. I definitely threw her off her game. 

 

“Lucky guess.”

 

“Yes… well it is the Time Box of Meohsilke. A seller brought it to Valles Vicky recently and she plans on auctioning it off tonight. We need you-” I cut her off once again.

 

I just needed out of here. I needed to get to Vicky’s. I needed to see him. To properly talk to him. He just couldn’t leave my mind today and I was ready to burst.

 

“You need me to go get it for you, got it. I’ll leave now. You can discuss my pay with Rita. Bye, Sasha,” I said as I sent the call back to Rita. She happily picked up and proceeded to chat Sasha’s ear off. At least that got me out of the conversation of Nureyev that Rita brought up the last two times. 

 

In my car, before the radio could go past the second note I shut it off. I drove a bit faster than the speed limit and arrived at Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley before Vicky showed up. I parked my car around the back, so I could tail Nureyev better when the time came. The Ruby Seven wasn’t there yet, but I knew it’d be a matter of moments before Nureyev would arrive. I then walked to the front and waited by the door somewhat anxiously and Vicky thankfully only pulled up barely two minutes later.

 

“Juno. You’re here early. Opening hours aren’t for a few more hours,” Vicky smirked at me as I moved out of her way so she could unlock the door.

 

“You and I both know that isn’t the business I’m here for. I’m here for Agent Wire,” I told her as we began to make our walk to her office. But I grabbed her wrist and stopped her before she could lead me any further. “I don’t want to go to your office though to chat, let’s go to where you have what I’m here for.”

 

Vicky cocked an eyebrow at me, squinting her eyes. “Why do you want to? Who says you’re even going to be leaving here with it?” 

 

“I just have a bad feeling is all,” was all I could say. How could I tell her that I knew she was about to get robbed? At least if we went closer to the vault, I could have a chance to grab Nureyev before he got into the Ruby Seven.

 

“Fine. We will stay here as a compromise then,” Vicky huffed. “Well, I was planning on auctioning it off tonight, your buyer can just come then. I’m not giving away Martian tech for free. I got a wife and kid that I have to provide for.”

 

“Well, with the feeling I have in my gut, I don’t think it’s going to be staying here until tonight.” I had to try and warn her. I wanted to catch Nureyev here, not out in the desert. I wanted to get this ridiculous tech now and be over and done with these time loops.

 

“What’s her offer then, Juno?” she asked. She looked at me skeptically. I really needed Sasha to actually give me money for this job, I didn’t know how many more times I was going to have to bullshit the same answer. It wasn’t even necessarily a good answer either.

 

“She can look into Dark Matters looking away from your after hours business, especially since you deal with some things they may find interesting,” I stated once again. I spared a glance past Vicky down the hall. Just maybe I could catch a glimpse of him when he broke out of the safe. 

 

“That is a very intriguing offer, but you can figure I would much rather prefer something with more monetary value. What can she offer there?” 

 

I didn’t know how to answer that. My first answer was the best I could do. Thankfully though, I was saved from coming up with one as the shriek of the safe alarm went off again. As Vicky ran for the safe, I ran past her to the back exit where my car was. I could see Nureyev was already ahead of me, veering left down the street. I hopped in my car and followed behind him. 

 

I cursed my car for not being as fast as the Ruby Seven, but I knew where Nureyev was headed. So time wasn’t too much of an issue. By the time I arrived at Miasma’s bunker, Nureyev was already inside. Rushing in was not going to be the best plan for confronting him, if I learned anything from the last time loop. 

 

Once inside, I found him in the same holding cell I found him in the first time. I watched him set the device down before I stepped out, blaster in hand. It was set to stun, but I didn’t even want to pull it out. Looking at him felt like a punch to my gut but I had to confront him. He was in possession of the key to my paycheque and he did break into and rob the Vixen Valley. It wasn’t the ideal course of action, but I didn’t have many options.

 

“Nureyev, I’m going to need you to hand over the Time Box of Meohsilke and come with me. I’m taking you in,” I said in as steady of a voice as I could. I stilled the tremble of my hand as he turned to look at me. He removed his headscarf and moved to take off his sunglasses but stopped himself before he did. I knew if he did, I wouldn’t be able to look in his eyes still. I would lose myself and my composure that way. 

 

“I’m sorry, but you have my identity mistaken with someone else. I’m Aster Vale,” he mused with an almost cocky aura around him. It almost made me want to punch him. “But, I’m not handing over anything. Finders keepers and all that.”

 

“‘Finders keepers?’ You fucking broke into the safe at the Vixen Valley!” The urge to punch him was growing honestly. He was acting so smug and it was just gnawing at my core. And what was really getting on my nerves was him pretending he didn’t know me now when we were alone. As far as I could tell, no one was in this bunker and we were miles from town. Who was even around to know he was actually Peter Nureyev? “Is this all a joke to you?”

 

“I assure you, this is no joke, umm…” I knew he was looking for me to give him my name, but I wasn’t falling into his little game.

 

“Is this about the night I left you? After you suggested we run away together?” I then asked, a frown grabbing at my lips and pulling down as my brow furrowed.

 

“I think you must have hit your head or something; I have no idea what you’re talking about. I perhaps have some semblance of the person you believe me to be, but I am not them,” he said. My fist clenched at my side. Honestly, I wanted to take a swing at him. But...I couldn’t. I relaxed my hand and sighed, my shoulders falling and my gaze following suit, deciding the dirt floor was much nicer to look at. 

 

“You know what? I deserve this, I really hurt you. I shouldn’t have just left without an explanation. But I couldn’t stay either. I wasn’t ready for that sort of commitment. I don’t know if I am, even at this point in my life. I’m better than I was then, but I wouldn’t consider myself a hundred percent better. If you had asked me to leave Mars with you again, with how I am now, I may have considered it more. I may have actually gone with you…” I took in a shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair before I dragged it down my face. I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him. 

 

“But I still can’t even say now if that would be the case or not. And I think I am just better off alone. I deserve it. I was and still am kind of a shit person. Sure. I’ve grown a bit since I last saw you, but I’m not a good person still. And I’m fine with it. Life’s shit. I’ve seen some of the worse it can spit out, but I know it still has a lot that I haven’t seen yet. And if this is one of those moments, so be it. The best I can do is just say ‘I’m sorry’ and move on. So, I’m sorry, Peter. I’m sorry I ran away like a child and didn’t talk my feelings out to you like an adult. I’m sorry that I probably broke your heart. I’m sorry that this is all my fault, and it’s fine for you to hate me too. I do.”

 

It felt weird using his first name for once. I didn’t really do it that often, unless I really meant it. But this was serious, and I hoped it would get him to finally break character. I just wanted some semblance of the guy I fell in love with to just break past the facade that is Aster Vale to just give me a sign that he forgave me. Now I wished he wasn’t wearing those sunglasses, because maybe then I could have had some sign that he at least acknowledged my apology.

 

“I… I am at a loss for words, even if that wasn’t meant for me,” he murmured and I tried to hold back all semblance of emotion from my face. I didn’t know what to do. I was tired of the games. I just wanted Peter to actually recognize me. To just say my name. I felt like I was trembling. I wasn’t sure if it was anticipation, anger, or what, but I couldn’t stand it any longer.

 

“Well, then I’m not leaving this room without that inane device,” I said before I moved towards him with haste. I barely got my arms around the time box (and him) before a flash of white put me back in my office. I slammed my hand down on my desk before I put my head on it with a sigh. I just… couldn’t go through with this again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the link to my artist's tumblr and their piece they did for my fic! It is absolutely wonderful and I hope you give them some love!  
> https://lucarosearts.tumblr.com/post/182735576404/i-had-the-stupendous-chance-to-participate-in-the

I almost didn’t want to answer the comms when Sasha called, but I let Rita pass me the call anyways. I just wanted to wallow in sorrow at my desk and pretend Peter Nureyev didn’t exist.

“What is it, Sasha?” I muttered as I put my comms to my ear.

“Good morning, Juno. Dark Matters has a job for you that agents of ours cannot complete, for we don’t have the connections you do,” Sasha said, her near cheerful tone rivaling my depressed one. 

“What is it?”

“The Time Box of Meohsilke.”

“Sounds Martian.”

“It is, and Valles Vicky just received it recently from a seller and we need you to get it from her.”

“Yeah, whatever… I can do that. Just discus with Rita how I am to get paid,” was all I said before I hung up. I sluggishly got up from my desk, drinking the rest of my shitty coffee and pocketing my comms. Rita was busy on the phone again with Sasha on this departure from my office, so once more I didn’t have to hear her mention the name Rex Glass.

By the time I got to the Vixen Valley, I was still ahead of Vicky’s arrival. With my car parked out back once more, but I didn’t go to the front door. I decided to shake things up. I wasn’t going to go inside the Vixen Valley to wait for Peter to get away so that I could chase him into the desert. I hid myself and my car in an alley off to the side, where I could keep an eye on the alley behind the Vixen Valley. Almost in sync as to when Vicky pulled up out front the Ruby Seven pulled up behind the back door. I watched Nureyev get out and sneak into the building.

As soon as he was inside I grabbed my gun, setting it on stun and slipping into the back seat of the Ruby Seven. I didn’t expect to avoid being caught, but as soon as I heard the alarm going off inside the Vixen Valley, it seemed the next thing I knew Nureyev was in the driver’s seat and the Ruby Seven was speeding off towards Miasma’s base.

Originally, my plan was to pop up to surprise Nureyev before we gout out of town. But sitting crouched in between the backseat and the passenger seat of the Ruby Seven going really, really fast made me feel sick. So, I decided to wait things out until we got to our destination. 

When the Ruby Seven finally pulled to a stop and I heard him get out, I swallowed down whatever was trying to come up my throat, I grabbed my gun and aimed it at Nureyev. “You’re under arrest, put down that time box.” I watched him raise an arm, the other holding the device snug to his side.

“I didn’t realize I had a stowaway,” he hummed, turning to face me. He arched an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. “Aren’t you going to take your shot? I’m not going to be letting go of this time box any time soon.”

“I hate to say it, but I’d rather you hold it than it get full of sand,” I sighed, grimacing. “What I do want are some answers though.”

“What do you want to know, investigator?” Nureyev asked, and I had to swallow my pride to not correct him. I decided I would play into his little game of him not knowing me. 

“I want to know why you stole that,” I demanded, gesturing my gun slightly towards the Time Box of Meohsilke.

“I simply took it because I want to fix something in the past.”

“Which is?”

“A loved one of mine left me one night. A handsome lady, as tough as they come. I woke up one morning to find my lady gone from my bed, and I wish to go back to see what happened. I could maybe convince my lady to stay.”

My heart sunk at Peter’s words. He meant the night I left him. I should have known. But, I didn’t. 

“Did… Did you ever hear from them again?” I asked tentatively.

“No, but I hear whispers of her name on the wind. She apparently has made quite the name for herself. I just wish I could witness it with her.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It isn’t your fault, investigator. You didn’t leave me, you’re just holding a gun towards me.” He gave a small laugh before his face fell again. “All I want is to know why she left me and see if she still feels the same way about be, like I do her.”

“How do you even plan on finding her again? You don’t know if that thing will even take you to where you want.”

“I have a back up plan, of course. I would leave a letter at her door to ask her to meet me at the café five blocks east to where we had our first date. It’s such a lovely place. Best coffee in Hyperion city. It would just have to be next time…” 

Nureyev’s gaze seemed to drift off to the side. Just before I could ask him what he meant by “next time,” I briefly caught the quick movement of his finger press something on the device. Another flash of white hit me and I once more found myself in my office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a few days later than I had planned on posting it, depression is an ass.


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting at my desk, I tried to collect my thoughts. What did Nureyev mean? “Next time.” I knew the lover he was talking about was me. Who else had abandoned him in the middle of the night? There was one thing that didn’t add up for me. We never had a first date. The closest you could come to that, was when we were at the Kanagawa mansion.

 

But before I could think much more on it, I heard the comms ring from Rita’s desk.

 

“Mista Steel, it’s ya friend, Sasha! Sasha-” Rita called out to me, but I cut her off promptly. I wanted to take this phone call as fast as I could so I could get out of the office.

 

“I know who it is, just pass her to my comms,” I requested, putting my comms to my ear and swivelling around in my chair to look out the window. “What is it, Sasha?”

 

“Hello to you too, Juno,” Sasha said, and I could hear the steady frown on her face. Guess she wasn’t pleased with my impatient tone. “I’m calling you because Dark Matters has a job for you.”

 

“Is that so?” I hummed. My tone was almost playful, trying to get a rise out of her. Something told me that this would be the last time I would be having this phone call with her. 

 

“Yes. There is a device of interest that has come to the attention of Dark Matters, and you have the best connections to get it for us,” Sasha explained, and I could hear her trying to stay focused on the matter at hand. “It’s a Martian artifact.”

 

“Oh? Is that so? Has my track record with ancient Martian artifacts been so good that you really want me to go find one for you?” I teased, an almost shit eating grin growing on my face with each word I spoke.

 

A small groan came from Sasha’s end of the call, and I had to stifle a laugh. “If you’re going to be uncooperative, Juno, we can look elsewhere for someone to pay for this job.”

 

“Oh no, I’m very interested in the job, especially since I get paid. I was just wondering what made you decide to use me,” I interjected, shifting to lean on the arm of my chair, holding my comms between my shoulder and my ear.

 

“Again, because you have the best connections for the job. Valles Vicky has what we’re looking for and you know her quite well,” Sasha said, her tone starting to level out. “She should expecting you now.”

 

“Cool, then I will transfer you back to Rita and you can discuss my pay,” was the last I said to her before I transferred the line back to Rita. Once more, that kept her busy as I made my exit. Outside the door to my office was a letter, instructing me to go to the cafe not too far from the Kanagawa mansion. I laughed bittersweetly as I headed to my car.

 

I made my way towards the Kanagawa’s, but made a turn to head eastward from it. The café was small and on the corner about five blocks down. Quaint, with just enough business to keep it open. The coffee was decent and the food they served was made in store. And as I pulled up, I could see there were a few tables containing people, but Nureyev wasn’t inside. I parked on the street and went in.

 

Ordering a black coffee, with a hint of sugar, I took my cup and sat down at one of the empty tables by the door. I made myself comfortable and watched those who came in and out of the café as I slowly nursed my drink. It was almost too hot, but I couldn’t stand drinking it when it started to fall past warm and into room temperature. By the time I’d finished my drink, I still hadn’t seen Nureyev.

 

Part of me wondered if this whole bit was just a scheme. A rouse to keep me from following him back to Miasma’s hideout so he could get away with the Time Box of Meohsilke. The other part of me felt like he was just flat out standing me up. Pay back from when I left him. Getting my hopes up so I would then realize he isn’t coming. That I probably won’t see him again. I didn’t know what side of me to listen to, or which one had the stronger case for telling me I should get out of the café, but I was half ready to leave and forget this day ever happened when he walked in. 

 

There was a familiar grace about him that I hadn’t seen since we had first met. He glanced around the café and even behind his sunglasses I knew his face had lit up when he spotted me. A flash of his fox-toothed smile and he was sitting across from me before I realized he had moved.

 

“Detective Steel, good to see you got my message from Aster.” Nureyev pulled his glasses down the bridge of his nose, looking at me overtop of them as he leaned on it towards me. “It’s been ages since I last saw you.”

 

“Rex Glass, I was almost thought you had stood me up,” I replied, swirling the last few drops of my coffee in the bottom of my cup. I gave a small chuckle and offered him a small smile.”I’m sorry that it’s been a while since we last spoke.”

 

“Well, you did try to have me arrested, detective,” he laughed, resting his chin on his hand as his smile grew into a smirk. “But I have had time to get over all that happened, and I am quite glad to see you again. It’s been quite a while.”

 

“I’m sorry about that,” I sighed almost defeatedly as my own smile fell. I almost didn't want to look him in the eyes. I could still feel my guilt want to claw its way up my throat. But I swallowed it down the best I could, knowing I had made my more in depth apologies priorly. I just hoped Nureyev had accepted them. 

 

“That’s no worry, Juno, I have put that behind me.” He waved his free hand and I could feel my stomach settle some. But as soon as it settled, my heartbeat picked up as his hand then moved to rest atop one of my own. “I’ve just missed your company, and I do hope we can become closer again.” He paused for a moment, his hand retreating. “Only if that is alright with you?”

 

I glanced him over, giving a small nod and reaching my hand forward to hold his. “I am alright with that. But… Let’s just take things slow, okay?” I couldn’t rush into things. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to things to be ruined off the bat. Who knew if we even still had chemistry anymore?

 

“Well, is my taking you out to dinner tonight slow enough for you?” Nureyev said, a smile tugging at his lips. I could see he wanted to let a larger smile take over his face, but he had to hold that back. He had an alias to keep up afterall. So I allowed that smile to grow on my face, but I held back the tears that threatened to trickle from my eye.

 

“I think that would be just right…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This technically is the end of Juno's story, but I got a bonus chapter for y'all ;3c so stay tuned!


	6. Bonus: A Rita Minute

“Oh! Oh! He did not just do that!” I all but shouted - I’m not allowed to shout no more after the boss got mad at me that one time after making so much of a ruckus - at my screen as the drama of my stream began to pick up. The long lost brother of the main protagonist had just shot their mother in revenge of their mother killing their father. It was my last show of the day before I could clock out, Mista Steel gone for the night on an apparent date. Which is good for him. I was worried about how lonesome he seemed most of the time. And I can’t be there for him all the time, or Mista Mercury. It’s real good for him to have some fun with someone, and perhaps get a smooch or two out of it, if he’s lucky. 

 

Just as my stream ended, I decided now was a better time than any to make my way home. If I was fast enough, I could be home in time to order dinner and get cozy before my next steam. But then the comms began to ring. I wanted to just ignore it, but it could be Mista Steel or someone looking for him for a case. I glance between the comms and the door, deciding to answer the call.

 

“Hi, you've reached Private Investigator Juno Steel. The boss ain't in right now, can I take a message?” I queried, pulling out a pen and paper from my desk. 

 

“Where's Juno?” came the voice on the other end, curt, snappy, and familiar.

 

“Oh! Hi Agent Wire, like I said, Mista Steel ain’t in right now. So if I could just-...” I started to say before she immediately cut me off again. 

 

“Get him to call me immediately. I don’t have time to wait until he feels like getting back to me.” Her voice sounded almost like a growl. She seemed to be very frustrated. I knew the boss’s job was a real important one - considering the amount of payment her and I had discussed when the boss had left. I was a little surprised he hadn’t gotten back to her just yet. I knew he was out on his date, and I didn’t really want to interrupt him, but Agent Wire also seemed quite frustrated with him. I sighed softly and made a face, making my decision.

 

“I’ll try to reach him, but I’m not sure if he’ll answer. Please hold,” I told her in as cheerful of a voice as I could muster up as I dialed the boss. The comms rang and rang, yet there was no answer. I gave another go at it, and the result was the same.

 

“I guess his date is going pretty well,” I smiled to myself. Good for him. I then switched back to the line Agent Wire was on and could barely open my mouth before she spoke.

 

“Well? Where is he?” she asked.

 

“Sorry, Agent Wire, but I couldn’t reach him. I’m pretty sure he’s busy right now,” I said, not wanting to expose the fact the boss was on a date. As much as I love to chat, I knew I wasn’t going to hear the end of it from him if I told her where he was. “But I will have him call you as soon as he’s available.”

 

“What is he even doing right now that’s so important that he can’t pick up? It wasn’t like the job I gave him was that complicated!” Agent Wire huffed. I could tell she was getting more frustrated, and probably didn’t have a lot of time trying to track down where Mista Steel was. 

 

“Well, you said the job was classified and that only you and him knew what he was supposed to be doing so I can’t even imagine what he may be doing for you right now. I’ll give him another call in a bit and let you know if I hear back from him. Bye!” I told her as I hung up, scribbling down on sticky note for the boss to call Agent Wire when he got in tomorrow and putting it on the door to his office. I could see the comms ringing again and, even if they may not have been Agent Wire again, I decided to ignore the call. It was about time for me to punch out, and I didn’t want to bother the boss further on his date. Hopefully, he doesn’t end up with too much of an earful from her because of me tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading my bang fic, it was a lot of fun to do and I met so many wonderful people through joining in on it~ and hopefully you enjoy this bonus chapter!


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